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On May 17th, SMC experienced its sixth annual SMC Everywhere event, an on-campus extravaganza designed to acknowledge and congratulate exiting students as they move on to the next phases of their academic and professional journeys. Whether students graduate, transfer to other schools or complete programs and enter the workforce, they don't leave SMC behind. They take SMC with them!

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INONGE WINA

“It has taken me over 40 years to reconnect with my alma mater. I am happy to come back and say thank you for the seeds of achievement that Santa Monica planted in me so many years ago. I consider it a great honor and a privilege to be receiving the award.”

NATHAN MYHRVOLD

Named by Foreign Policy magazine to its list of top 100 global thinkers, Dr. Nathan Myhrvold is an advocate for eliminating global warming and climate change using geoengineering, and aims to develop a nuclear reactor that is “safe and cheap.” Myhrvold is a former Chief Technology Officer of Microsoft Corporation, co-founder of Intellectual Ventures, and the principal author of Modernist Cuisine, an encyclopedia and guide to the science of contemporary cooking.

ANDREW HEM

Honored by the White House Historical Society, Andrew Hem’s socially conscious and introspective art includes commissioned murals that reflect his Cambodian heritage, urban upbringing, extensive travel in Asia and South America, and innate empathy for the daily struggles of the human spirit. Andrew exhibits in galleries worldwide, and lectures at several universities specializing in art and design.

MICHELE SERROS

The SMC Foundation has named Michele Serros winner of the 2014 Distinguished Alumni Recognition Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement. Serros started gaining fame for her writing during her years at Santa Monica College by publishing Chicana Falsa and other stories of Death, Identity and Oxnard. Serros went on tour with Lollapalooza with 11 other poets as a result of the attention she received from her earliest book. While on tour, Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins played guitar as she recited her poem, “Mr. Boom Boom Man.” Her first collection of poetry and stories really propelled her career forward.

After studying at SMC, Serros went on to receive a degree in Chicana/o Studies from UCLA, where she graduated cum laude. She has since published young adult novels entitled Honey Blonde Chica and ¡Scandalosa! She is also an experienced writer for numerous publications including Washington Post,Los Angeles Times and more, and she is well-known for contributing social commentaries on various outlets on National Public Radio.

From her influence on curriculum, to her poetry that drives by on the Los Angeles County buses, her immeasurable successes can be seen all over. She is a former writer for the TV series George Lopez, and her published works have landed on recommended reading lists in many Southern California schools.

NATHALIE RAYES

The SMC Foundation has named Nathalie Rayes winner of the 2013 Distinguished Alumni Recognition Award for Outstanding Professional and Community Service Achievement. Rayes, who graduated with honors from SMC in 1994, works in the corporate arena but has also been active in municipal and national government, serving in such roles as adviser to President Obama. She has also made her mark in public service and philanthropy, winning honors for her achievements.

Rayes currently serves on many boards including the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute Advisory Board, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Advisory Council, and U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. She is also a Fellow of the very prestigious Asia 21 Young Leaders Initiative, the leading cross-sectional leadership development program in the Asia-Pacific region.

GILDA CLIFT BRELAND, ESQ.

The Santa Monica College Foundation is pleased to announce that Gilda Clift Breland, Esq., has been named winner of the 2012 Distinguished Alumni Recognition Award for Outstanding Professional and Community Service Achievement. Clift Breland, who attended SMC from 1996 to 1998, is an attorney who has won numerous awards for her community service and professional accomplishments.

Through her hard work, talent, dedication, vision for success, leadership, and unselfish desire to help others, Ms. Clift Breland has earned great respect not only within the legal community, but also within the community at large.

Jeff King

King receives the 2011 SMC Alumni Recognition Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement. He received an Associates Degree from Santa Monica College in 1958 and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History/Political Science from UCLA. The recipient of a number of industry honors, King has accepted the City of Hope Lifetime Achievement Award, Nation's Restaurant News Hot Concept Award, and the Elizabeth Burns Lifetime Achievement Award. He was also recognized as the UCLA Alumni of the Year, inducted into the California Restaurant Association's Fine Dining Hall of Fame and Educational Foundation Hall of Fame.

Terry Green

Green is being honored with the 2011 SMC Alumni Recognition Award for Distinguished Community Service. Green, who attended the college from 1965 to 1967 and earned an Associate of Arts degree, began what would be a lifetime commitment to community service at SMC. Green transferred from SMC to the University of California at Santa Barbara where he continued his studies of math and history. While a student, he was a member of Alpha Gamma Sigma, the honors and community service organization, and would later serve as its faculty advisor for 20 years. During his years as an advisor, Green participated in many community service events with his students, including the AIDS Walk Los Angeles, Revlon Run/Walk to find a cure for breast and ovarian cancer, and an annual Thanksgiving program in Santa Monica that distributes food and clothing to the homeless.

John Densmore (1964)

John Densmore, drummer of the legendary rock group The Doors, has been named winner of one of the 2010 SMC Alumni Recognition Awards for Outstanding Professional Achievement.
Densmore has remained an active musician and writer way beyond his years with The Doors. He was far more than merely the rhythmic engine of The Doors. Strongly influenced by jazz skinsmen like Elvin Jones and the supple grooves of the Brazilian wave, he brought a highly evolved sense of dynamics, structure and musicality to his beats.Inexorably drawn to music from childhood, Los Angeles-born Densmore honed his sense of dynamics playing with his high school marching band. In the mid-’60s he joined guitarist Robby Krieger in a band called Psychedelic Rangers; shortly thereafter they hooked up with keyboardist Ray Manzarek and Morrison, and an explosive chapter in the development of rock ‘n’ roll began.

Allan Young (1971) & Sally M. Young (1972)

(2010 Community Service). Allan and Sally Young, who have been married for 35 years, have each had a long and distinguished record of community service. Both of the Youngs, along with their grown children Aaron and Sarah, are all graduates of SMC and went on to receive degrees at other local universities.

Dr. Richard Grigg (1957)

Emeritus Professor of Oceanography, University of Hawaii and World Champion Surfer (2009 Professional Achievement) [no pic of this award]

Eddie Guerboian (1970)

Warren Mitchell (1954-59)

Group President, Sempra Energy (2007 Professional Achievement)

Pam Brady (1954-59)

President, California PTA (2007 Community Achievement)

John McMullen

SMC Head Basketball Coach, retired (2009): The 2009 honoree was celebrated former basketball coach John McMullen. Coach Mac recorded his 500th victory in 2002, a milestone achieved by only a handful of coaches in the nation and finished his SMC career with a record of 528-240. Over 150 of McMullen's players transferred to colleges and universities.

Junior Rose Bowl and National Championship Football team (1958)

The 2008 inductee was the 1958 Junior Rose Bowl and National Championship Football team. Members came to campus for their 50th anniversary reunion and were inducted before the November 6 Homecoming game.

Glenn Bassett (1946)

NCAA Tennis Champion and Author (2007): Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007 was tennis great Glenn Bassett, the only person in history to win an NCAA tennis title as player, assistant coach and head coach. He began his impressive career at SMC in 1946 with first place honors in men's singles competition at the Ojai Tennis Championship games. Bassett co-captained the UCLA championship team in 1950 and represented the USA twice at Wimbledon before entering the education arena, teaching and coaching tennis for 15 years.

Jerry N. Davila-Castro (1989-93)

1986 Pan Am Gold and Silver Medalist. Davila-Castro, who is in a wheelchair because of infant polio, attended SMC from 1989 to 1993, earning a certificate in recreation/leisure studies. A member of the 1992 USA Paralympics Team in Barcelona, he has racked up a number of achievements in table tennis, including silver medals in the 1986 Pan American Games and at the 1987 World Championships, a gold medal at the 1991 California State Championship, and a silver medal at the 1991 National Championship.

Lynn Hill (1981-83)

World renowned rock climber (2006): Hill is widely recognized as the world’s best female rock climber. While at SMC from 1982 to 1983, she concentrated on middle-distance running and was a member of SMC’s State Championship Women’s Track & Field Team in 1982. One of the world’s best competitive rock climbers, winning more than 30 international titles, she was the first person to complete a free ascent of the nose of El Capitan, Yosemite National Park’s most famous climb.

Tommie Smith

Former SMC Track and Field Coach and Olympic Gold Medalist (2006): Smith coached SMC’s track & field teams from 1978 until his retirement in 2005. As a competitive sprinter, he is the only man in track history to hold 11 world records simultaneously. Winner of the gold medal in the 200-meter at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Smith tied or broke 13 world records while a student at San Jose State University in the 1950s. Aside from his coaching, Smith also taught sociology, health and physical education classes while at SMC and served as interim athletic director.

Dr. Kay Teer Crawford (awarded posthumously)

Chair of SMC’s Health, Physical Education and Dance Department (2005): Dr. Kay Teer Crawford established SMC’s accomplished drill team, the Coronettes, in the late 1950s. Crawford not only established the Coronettes, she was the first woman chair of the college’s health, physical education and dance department. Her tenure at the college lasted nearly 30 years, from 1955 to 1984, and she was a dance and drill director for more than 50 years, producing 10 halftime Super Bowl shows among other televised productions.

Johnny Gray (1979-80)

Four-time Olympian (2005): Alumnus Johnny Gray is a four-time track and field Olympian who won a bronze medal in the 1992 Games in Barcelona; Gray’s two-decade career as a competitive sprinter spans four Olympic games, earning him the bronze medal in 1992. He also twice won the gold at the Pan American Games. He still holds the American 800-meter indoor and outdoor records. Gray attended SMC from 1979 through 1980 and graduated from Arizona State University in 1982.

John Joseph - SMC Swimming Coach, retired (2005):

Joseph’s legendary career as head SMC swimming coach spanned the period from 1951 until his retirement in 1992. He produced more than 300 All-Americans, racked up 13 undefeated seasons, and coached 20 Conference Championship teams and one State Championship Team. He was named Conference Coach of the Year 21 times and State Coach of the Year three times.

Lenny Krayzelburg (1992-94)

Olympic Gold Medalist (2005): Alumnus Lenny Krayzelburg is a four-time Olympic gold medalist in swimming; Krayzelburg stroked his way to four Olympic gold medals, three in the 2000 Sydney Games and one in Athens in 2004. While attending SMC from 1992 to 1994, he won three California Junior College Conference Championships under the tutelage of swimming coach Stu Blumkin. Krayzelburg received his bachelor’s degree from USC.